New Delhi: Russia declared war on Ukraine yesterday. It is likely to seize Kyiv this weekend as Ukraine’s resistance has effectively crippled.
Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance, appears to have over-relied on the potency of its sanctions to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In order to understand the entire crisis, it is important to know the history of NATO and Russia.
World after World War II
After the end of World War II, the world was divided into two camps. One was led by the United States whereas the Soviet Union was the leader of another camp.
In 1949, NATO which is a military alliance was formed. At the time of formation, it had 12 member countries i.e., the US, Britain, France, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Iceland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, and Denmark. Later, many other European countries become part of the alliance.
On December 25, 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed into 15 countries and it changed the balance between the two superpowers of the world. The event had left the US as the sole superpower of the world.
After the collapse, many erstwhile Soviet Union countries joined NATO in order to ensure their sovereignty and independence.
Currently, NATO has 30 member countries. The latest country to join the alliance is North Macedonia.
Why is Russia against Ukraine joining NATO?
Citing its security concerns, Russia which is the transcontinental and largest country in the world never wants its neighbouring countries to join NATO.
Earlier, Russia demanded assurance from the military alliance that it would not give membership to Ukraine. The transcontinental country has also asked the alliance to stop deployment of weapons in its neighbourhood.
Russia-Ukraine history
Until 1917, Russia and Ukraine were parts of the Russian Empire. After the Russian revolution, Ukraine recognized itself as a separate country.
However, within a few years, Ukraine joined the Soviet Union and it remained part of the union until 1991.
Even after the fall of the Soviet Union, Eastern Ukrainians consider themselves to be close to Russia whereas, people in Western Ukraine favour west.
Annexation of Crimea
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea Peninsula which was part of Ukraine. It had led to many sanctions against Russia.
Despite earlier taste of sanctions and threat of economic issues, Russia went ahead to invade Ukraine citing security concerns that will arise if its neighbor joins NATO.
Response of NATO
NATO responded to the invasion by deploying more forces into the Baltic states. The alliance is expected to focus its efforts on stopping the war from spilling over into neighboring countries.
However, both NATO and the US have made it clear that no troops will be sent to Ukraine.
The decision has left Ukraine’s military to hold off the assault alone.
Still, the question that remained unanswered is ‘Will the victory in the war put an end to Russia’s ambitions, or does the country wants to re-establish the former Soviet Union’
